"Sir, should we go there again?"
The one asking was Kaier, referring to a ruin. They had already searched it once before and found no clues.
Typically, places that have been searched shouldn’t be looked into a second time. But since Angel decided not to go to the third layer and was certain the Wood Spirit was in the second layer, Kaier thought perhaps they should meticulously search the second layer again.
However, as they passed through the ruins, Angel showed no intention of searching again, prompting Kaier’s puzzled inquiry.
Angel: "No need, we’ve already searched here, there’s no point returning."
Kaier: "Then aren’t we searching for the Wood Spirit?"
"We are searching, aren’t we?" Angel tried to make his words more credible by glancing around, putting on a look of serious searching.
Yet, the surrounding void felt dismissive.
Kaier saw this and did not ask further. To him, Angel had already decided not to search anymore.
Perhaps, he was tired?
Kaier didn’t say much more, only hoping for the next group, Dox and Vay.
...
"Aren’t you planning to search again?"
Everyone else had stopped trying to convince Angel, and Dox was already gearing up, ready to step in anytime. At this moment, even the Wise Sovereign, who originally wasn’t going to speak, couldn’t help but speak up.
Angel’s response remained unchanged: "I am searching."
"If you got rid of that lazy expression, maybe I’d believe you’re searching," the Wise Sovereign raised an eyebrow.
Angel: "Really? I think that no matter what I do, the Wise Sovereign probably wouldn’t believe me?"
Wise Sovereign: "Muddy waters prevent seeing the bottom and obscure whether the shadow beneath is a crocodile or a stone."
Angel chuckled lightly: "Even if the water is clear, the Wise Sovereign would still suspect if the stone below is real or a trap."
The Wise Sovereign implied that Angel was shrouded in mist, like murky water, only clarity can inspire trust.
Angel meant that conspiracy theorists always see a conspiracy; the overly suspicious Wise Sovereign would never truly trust outsiders, especially them.
Determining who’s right is hard—both expressed from their perspective, naturally leaning towards self-interest.
Achieving consensus on such issues of stance is extremely difficult.
Unless one side completely surrendered to the other, accepting all conditions, which might lead to consensus. But neither Angel nor the Wise Sovereign would do that.
Not to mention the Wise Sovereign, whose status and the advantage of home ground would prevent him from surrendering to Angel.
As for Angel, he actually doesn’t care about surrendering. Just like Jon advised Angel when he left the Old Earth Continent, in a world of survival of the fittest, pride is unnecessary. Pride is easily trampled, and treating pride as sacred only leads to downfall once trampled, inviting death.
Many novels feature a scene where the hero’s unwavering spirit impresses the strong, who lets them go. But such scenarios are hero exclusives; usually, defiance brings not respect but anger, and death alone can calm the fury of the strong.
So Jon advised Angel to have pride but also understand the situation, feign agreement, and reach consensus to prolong life.
Angel is pragmatic. If he had acted defiantly when he encountered Sanders, insisting on going to the White Coral Floating Island Academy, given Sanders’ character, he’d likely end up dead.
So, Angel doesn’t care much about surrendering.
But faced with the Wise Sovereign, he cannot surrender for a simple reason—the Wise Sovereign wouldn’t recognize his submission.
As Angel expressed, conspiracy theorists see only conspiracy.
Cloaked in mist, he’d suspect your identity; reveal your identity, he’d suspect your purpose; disclose your purpose, he’d suspect your motives...
Against such a person, constant yielding only pushes you to extremes; even revealing your soul would invite criticism.
Thus, Angel cannot surrender or be lenient regarding stance or intentions towards the Wise Sovereign.
Yet, endless confrontation is impossible; as Dororo said, "the wise are not foolish," Angel must seek consensus to achieve his goals.
How to reach agreement without surrender?
Calling for outside support, relying on the Barbarian Cave’s power is possible, but that means flipping the table; the worst approach if aiming for peaceful exploration of the ruins.
Besides outside help, Angel has only one thought: common interests.
Common interests might allow both sides to step back, achieving balance on stance issues. Even if they can’t agree on stance, they’d recognize the other’s stance as meaningful.
Just like the Black Earl.
Angel and the Black Earl maintain such balance. Despite many doubts during Angel’s journey, initially the Black Earl questioned him, but later stopped as their shared interests made both beneficiaries, avoiding any need to conflict.
If the Black Earl could agree, so could the Wise Sovereign.
But now, the issue lies in what common interests exist between him and the Wise Sovereign?
Currently, there’s no answer, or it’s unclear.
Yet the vagueness seems to stem from the Wise Sovereign not revealing his "purpose." Once his purpose and his stance towards Noah descendants are clear, Angel is confident common interests will surface.
This conviction stems from the idea that without shared interests, why would the Wise Sovereign bother them for so long?
As for how to uncover the Wise Sovereign’s purpose?
Angel is already on it.
Once he completes his so-called bonus and necessary conditions, the Wise Sovereign will observe enough of their intelligence to naturally disclose his purpose.